Carnet de Passages en Douane
American residents
Affiliated with the American Automobile Association, the Canadian Automobile Association is a member of the Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT) and is authorized to issue its Carnet de Passages en douane for motor vehicles to American residents for touring purposes.
What is a Carnet de Passages en Douane?
The Carnet guarantees a foreign government that the vehicle it identifies, having been granted temporary importation status, will be removed from the country within the time limit imposed by the respective jurisdiction or if not, that the country will be paid all duties and taxes that would be required to permanently import the vehicle. Using the Carnet is an alternative to leaving cash security deposits with foreign governments. It allows free movement and unencumbered access between foreign countries. Use of the Carnet is restricted to the countries listed on the back cover. It is valid for one year from date of issue.
How to Obtain one
You can obtain an application by either contacting CAA National office to have an application mailed to you, or by printing the application (see below)
Submit the completed application form, along with the following attachments:
• two photographs of the vehicle
• two signed photographs of the applicant
• a copy of both sides of the vehicle registration document
• the carnet fee and cash deposit
The fees and deposit must be in Canadian funds. They are:
• Fee: $450.00 CDN ($400.00 CDN if you are a AAA member)
• Deposit: $300.00 CDN (to be used for such expenses as couriers. The unused balance is returned once the discharged Carnet is returned to the CAA)
• Visa and Mastercard accepted.
Each carnet application must be accompanied by the non-refundable issuing fee of $400.00 or $450.00. As soon as CAA embarks on the processing of a carnet application, the work performed is the same, whether the carnet is issued, or whether the application is cancelled prior to issuing taking place. For this reason, issuing fee is not refundable.
In addition to the Carnet fee and deposit, CAA requires a financial guarantee, sufficient for CAA to meet any claims that could be made by a foreign government for customs duties and taxes. These duties and taxes can be levied against a vehicle when it is temporarily imported into a country under cover of a Carnet de Passages, but is not removed or exported. This financial protection is provided to CAA by the holder of the Carnet in the form of an irrevocable letter of credit, a certified cheque or a money order. This financial guarantee is held by CAA in a non-interest bearing account until such time as the used Carnet is returned to CAA.
Amount of Guarantee
CAA calculates the amount of the financial guarantee using the value of the vehicle and the maximum amount of duties and taxes that could be claimed by the countries to be visited. Permanent importation duty & tax rates may vary from 0% to over 300%, depending on the country visited, the vehicle, and its equipment.
The Carnet, when properly discharged, will have an entry and exit stamp for every foreign country visited. The Certificate of Location located at the back of the Carnet must be endorsed by US customs, upon your return, proving to CAA that the vehicle is back in the USA. When the properly discharged Carnet is received, CAA will release the financial guarantee and the balance of the cash deposit.
There are many steps involved in the process of issuing a Carnet and it can take up to a month to finalize, but CAA will help and guide you through the process.
If you have any questions, please call International Documentation Services at CAA National office (613) 247-0117, ext.: 2025.
Application
Please print, complete and mail the application, along with the attachments mentioned above, to:
CAA National Office
c/o International Documentation Services
1145 Hunt Club Road
Suite 200
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 0Y3
In the interest of your PERSONAL SECURITY please MAIL rather than
fax this application to the CAA National office.
CAA Carnet de Passages en Douane Application, American Residents.
(Acrobat PDF)